You guys are accepted. Have fun!
Kara had been prepared for an assault on her person, on her hair, or perhaps an assault of words. What she had not been ready for was an assault on her feet. Laughter was startled out of her as she squirmed and kicked, trying to free her foot from the grasp of the man next to her. Finally, the torment ended, and as quickly as the boot was thrown at her, she placed it back on her foot with a grin. "You're a strange man." She told Conrad, just as Shyra started yelling. Sounded like something important, but everyone was taking way too long to get out the entrance of the carriage. So Kara did the only reasonable thing she could do. She popped out one of the panes of glass from one of the carriage windows, and slipped outside, carefully placing the sheet of clear material on the carriage wheel. It was then she looked up, and saw the strands of cobweb coming down from the branches. She couldn't tell how recent they were, and mild disgust mingled with curiosity. Giant spiders? Who would have known? Despite the morbidity of it all, she reached out to touch one of the strands. Tessa reached out and smacked away Kara's hand. "Don't." She said, her eyes and voice serious. "It'll tell them we're here." When she was sure Kara wouldn't try to be stupid, she turned and walked back towards Ren. She had seen the spiders hunt before. Probably not the same ones, but similar creatures lived in her forests. "Um..." She sighed as she adjusted her cloak, freeing her arms and hands from the sleeves. "Can we...watch each other's back? It's better to stay in a group, and..." Her throat seemed to close up on itself, and she couldn't finish her sentence. Was asking for help really so hard? After nearly a decade of seeing no one, and doing everything alone, apparently it was. Her eyes pleaded with Ren what her voice couldn't. She didn't want to have to fight these things by herself. Even though she was sure Shyra would lead them as a group, it didn't mean they would act like a group. "If that's the case, I'm sticking with Wolf." Kara danced over to Conrad. Despite her carefree manner, her eyes were wary, and her hands had gone to the pommels of her weapons. "I'd like to think a cat and a canine could do better then a bird and a doe. But, perhaps you can prove us wrong."
Veera managed to slowly calm herself down. Okay, that was a lie. She managed to stop after she forgot how to breathe and nearly passed out. Yeah, she was a mess. She was going to have a lot of issues over this. But as she slowly stood, testing out her legs, she found she had her strength back. Her body was tired, yes, but she was needed. "Thank you." She said to Karen, bowing slightly. "Thank you for giving me a second chance at life." Hopefully this one won't be wasted. Turning, she walked quickly out to the courtyard. Her still shocked mind took in the king's body, the others standing around, and filed away all unimportant information. She felt emotionless, this was good. King was dead, making Flame the Queen. Their leader. Drake wasn't present, this left her and Gale as the most experienced ones at Flame's side. There was a centaur. This one caused her to pause and blink. She hadn't known they existed. Well, the more the merrier. Her 3D gear was still fastened to her waist. She was missing most of her blades, but she could pick those up on the way. Without saying a word, she took her place at Flame's side, ignoring Kala. Tessa felt as though she had cried for hours, when it had probably been only five minutes. She took a shuddering breath and wiped her eyes on her sleeve, leaving her head resting on Gale's chest as she sniffed. It hadn't yet occurred to her that she was hugging a legend. It was hard to when his heartbeat sounded the same as every other humans. She wondered briefly if it sounded the same as hers, before Flame began to speak. And all at once, it came rushing back. She stepped back, stammering an apology as she rubbed her tear stained cheeks. "I-i I don't know what came over me." She murmured, keeping her gaze firmly on the ground and away from anyone's face, before nodding at Flame's instructions. Kala rose, and then stared. In that moment, Veera's glare was ignored, Flame's words forgotten. There, standing in front of her, was a centaur. A freaking centaur. Before she could stop herself, she had walked up to the..person? It was a person. At least half a person. "You....you are amazing." She whispered, her fingers twitching. She wanted to pet that fur. Oh gods she really just wanted to make sure this wasn't a high induced hallucination. "How can you exist? How can you be here?" Her eyes lit up, and she began to grin from ear to ear. "Please please please please let me pet you?" She had never begged for anything in her life, but she would get down on her knees right now and beg this fantastic creature to let her touch him. Just once. Maybe she could use her relationship with Flame to make her command him. But then again, that would be wrong. No, she should save that for something more important. "Please?" She asked one more time, adding a pleading look to her eyes. Her life would be complete. And then she would go to kill titans. With this fantastic creature. Zack wrapped an arm around Adelina and pulled her close, playing with the ends of her hair with his fingers. "You can't tell me you weren't impressed." He replied with a lazy smile before taking another drink. That was when she said the L word. The L word. He swallowed hard before setting the bottle down. "You've had a bit too much, haven't you?" He teased, though his stomach was churning. Ah, what the hell? No time to do it like the present. The worst she could do was say no. And if she did, then he would know where he stood. Or sat, as it were. "Adelina, I think that I love you a lot. More then I've loved anyone or anything." Sorry Tessa, but it's true. He apologized mentally to his friend before grabbing the bottle and taking a long drink, for liquid courage.
New York City, New York. 9:00 pm. There is a calm over the city, an unnatural stillness. The humans move about their business without a care, without a worry. But there are those who cling to the shadows, who watch without being seen, or speak without being heard. There are those that hunt, and those that are hunted. Tonight is the night of the new moon, the black sky, and the starless horizon. Tonight is where it begins. Brianne looked up at the glowing sign of Pandemonium. The one safe haven for all races in New York. She had come here many times over the years, each time for a different reason, a different purpose. Tonight was no different then any other night. The runes on her skin glowed; a Mark for speed on her thigh, revealed by the shorts she was wearing. A second Mark on her neck, to despell any glamours, and a third on her wrist, for strength. The fourth, she left unmarked, just in case she needed to cure a poisonous cut or heal a wound. Better safe then sorry. She took a deep breath, trying to stretch out the tight shirt as much as possible before heading inside. The music pulsed in her ears, and the flashing lights nearly blinded her until she adjusted. She looked through the general crowd; not seeing her quarry in the immediate vicinity, she strode towards a private sitting area. Ash, a warlock with whom she carried a somewhat tenuous relationship, was there. She parted the red curtain, wrinkling her nose at the excessive drama, before stepping inside. "Ash. I figured you'd be here." She sighed, resting her hands on her hips. Her stele clinked at her side. "I'm looking for one of your kind. A warlock. Goes by the name of Masque. He's here. Give him to me, and I'll put in a good word for you with the Council." She named the ruling order of Nephilim in good faith, knowing that she had enough sway to give her...friend, some very nice benefits. Morrigan let her fingers drift along the side of the pool. Central Park was lovely after the sun went down. Well, besides the beggars and murderers that stalked the street. She wasn't afraid of them, for the simple reason that they didn't see her. It was for the best really, what with her blue grey skin and somewhat ethereal beauty. The water rippled underneath her skin, moving away from her touch. A water bug fled the carnage of its watery world, skimming towards the middle of the lake. Morrigan sighed, and got to her feet, brushing off her feathery dress before strolling towards the forest. She had work to do, and it wasn't going to get done by scrying into the water. A shiver rolled down her spine as the dead leaves and branches crunched underneath her feet. Normally the moon would be shining down on her skin, her hair, and everything else, making it glow with the silvery light she so adored. Instead, it was dark, and dead. A new moon was out tonight, but it didn't feel new. It felt frightening. She shuddered once more, and carried on her path.
Veera wasn't quite running, per say, but she was moving rather quickly. Fast enough to try to avoid the mob of somewhat disgruntled city folk behind her that she wasn't really paying attention to what was in front of her. So when she smacked into a certain Veilen-like man, she thought she was being attacked, and honestly, given the situation, she wasn't really out of line. She drew her broad sword with both hands and held it towards the person in front of her, narrowing her eyes. "That better have been an accident, because I'm really not in the mood to play games." With the City Watch slowly approaching, this was hardly the time for such things. But she would make time. Kara, after her battle mate had suddenly vanished, decided to try to escape without further fighting. She put her weapon away and put a hand on the wall, stealing the fire from the nearby torches in order to make it completely dark. As she waited for her eyes to adjust, she put a hand on the nearest wall. One foot in front of the other, one hand on the wall, she peered into the dark as she slowly made her way forward. And hoped to the gods there weren't any traps. Her hand rattled against something metal, and she froze, for a few moments. When nothing happened, Kara ran her fingers over what seemed to be the skeleton of a cage. And something was breathing inside of it. Kara ignited a small flame in her palm and held it towards the cage, peering at the occupant. "Are you like me?" She whispered, her voice barely making a sound.
Teliana nodded gratefully, offering a small, nervous smile to Vyle before turning to the open field. She let her fire die and concentrated on the power in her palms, open to the air. As the portal grew from the ground up, she sighed. At least her visit to this cursed place had been a short one. "After me, I presume." She said with a small smile before striding through the portal. Her feet landed in a puddle, and she groaned before stepping out of it, onto the cobblestones, only to be shoved aside by a man, clearly in a hurry. "Hey, watch it!" she called out, brushing her dress off after she caught her balance. Bryce didn't look back, or acknowledge he had nearly knocked the woman over. He had much more important business to attend to then a commoner who got in his way. Tessa was pretty sure she had drowned. Or was drowning. The cold had surrounded her, and she couldn't tell where her skin began and the river ended. It was so cold. She had never realized before how important warmth was, how vital, and precious. It made her thankful Bryce had always kept a fire burning in the hearth through the cold winters. She should have been more grateful, back then. She should have been a lot of things. It felt as though she was moving, but it could have been her mind, slowly shutting down. The thought should have been panicking, but it only caused a minor sadness. She should have done more. The texture beneath her fingers changed, and something felt....warm. She heard a voice, but maybe this was death. Maybe death was warmth and strength and was coming to take her from this terrible and wonderful place. It seemed it was not to be, as her body began to warm, and she began to shake as her brain tried to restart her circulation. "Sh-sh-sh-i-i-i-t. C-c-c-c-c-old." She managed through chattering teeth. She knew her rescuer was male, and strong. Perhaps a soldier, or a traveler passing by. Whatever the case, she hoped the kindness was not self serving. It would be a terrible shame to be brought from the edge of death only to be abused and then left for dead anyway. This thought probably should have been scarier, but her mind wasn't quite there yet.
Veera turned onto her side, her hand sleepily groping for a blanket. Her bed seemed so cold and uncomfortable, it usually only became this way in the winter. But winter was a long way off. She groaned before sitting up, and blinking. And blinking again. This wasn't her room. This wasn't Kantya. She started to get to her feet, and froze as the memories came rushing back, filling her head with the horrors. Oh gods. She held her head in her hands as she shut her eyes tight, keeping the tears from leaving her eyes as her head pounded and her throat tightened. She wasn't aware of anyone at the moment, only her own misery and torment. Zack grinned and took another drink before passing it back to Adelina. His head was beginning to feel warm, and his fingers and toes fuzzy. It wasn't a bad feeling. He had to remind himself not to drink too much, lest a titan show up unexpected. Sure they were safe up this high, but accidents, and bad luck seemed a constant occurrence around the monsters. "I have my ways." He answered the fairy, sitting down and patting the space beside him, in the shade. "I'm a lot smarter then I look." Sometimes, anyway. Kala let her hand drop, and watch as Flame transformed from the girl she had grown up with into the queen that she was too young to become. It made her....sad, really. What a strange feeling. "I will always follow you, my Queen." Kala dropped to one knee, resting her arm on the left one and bowing her head. "Long live Her Majesty, Queen Flame." She said, keeping her eyes on the ground.
Shyra's Group "Hmmmmm, didn't like that, did you?" Kara grinned before yanking on a piece of Conrad's hair and shifting out of his grasp, leaning her back against the far wall, her side pressed against the seat back. "Well we can't all be what we want. Personally, I'd rather be a fox, buuuuut. Not that cunning." She let her head rest against the side, then thought better and shifted so that her head could lean against the seat backing as well. "Some people are prey, some are predators.. Some are survivors." She said this with another grin, before nudging Conrad with her foot. Maybe if she irritated him enough, she would see some of the predator. "I wonder how many of us are survivors?" She said this before glancing at Alice. "You don't want to be a mouse? Then change. Or don't. I don't care. In fact, I'm feeling rather hungry." The grin turned into a smile that showed no teeth. "Maybe I could use a mouse for lunch." Tessa frowned. She had never considered herself to be a rabbit, but it wasn't as bad as it could have been. She would rather be a rabbit then say, a squirrel. Squirrels were bastards. Always stealing her stash of nuts. She watched Ren roll his eyes, and frowned. Her memory told her this was a gesture that was an indication of little to no respect. Well, if he was a hawk and Kara was a cat, made sense. Hawks ate cats. And rabbits. She cautiously watched him from behind her hair, unaware that Conrad had just done the same thing to her. Well, not totally unaware. But sometimes if you pretended you didn't notice a predator stalking you, then they would leave you alone. Okay, that never worked and almost always ended in some sort of scary attack and pain. "Can't I be a bear?" Tessa asked the strange girl, her voice pleading. "I don't want to get eaten by a hawk." Wolves were worthy, cunning foes. Hawks were opportunists and she didn't appreciate them. "Or a deer? Please?" The strange girl sighed, then shrugged. "Sure, you can be Doe Eyes, and then Mouse over there can get a promotion to Rabbit. Gods above you guys are a spoiled bunch." Sanderson's Group Bryce stuttered. He hadn't expected the girl to answer, much less give her name. Well, maybe he was better at this then he thought. With a little more confidence in his stride, he nodded. "Yeah, a couple. Handful. Maybe a dozen. Can't really remember. They kind of....blend together. Blood looks the same on everyone, you know. Well, I mean it looks different on different people, but it's the same color and smells the same and kind of makes all the memories run together. I mean.....yeah." He stuttered once more, looking down at his feet. Gods this helmet was hot, but he didn't want to take it off just yet. "Uh...nice weather, right? I like the sun." he commented lamely to Iris.
I'm so grateful for the friends that I have made here. You guys are my light.
Shyra's Group Tessa smiled a little, still unsure of herself. "Ren, okay. Why are you here?" She began to toy with a strand of her hair, a nervous habit of hers. Well, one of her nervous habits. Really, she liked to keep her hands busy when she was upset or anxious at all. "I um..I wasn't officially invited." She said this a little more quietly so that Shyra wouldn't hear. The last thing she wanted was to be kicked out of the carriage in an unknown wilderness. It would be a long way back to the known one. "I just saw a flyer in the place I was living, and well...we all need a change of scenery at one point, right? She pointedly ignored whatever was going on with Conrad. The feeling hadn't jolted her when she had shaken Ren's hand, and she was still nervous about what that really was. Besides, the way he was curling up with the other girl, all he really wanted was a mate. She just hoped they wouldn't do anything in the carriage. She didn't need to remind herself how humans reproduced. Shyra's Group Kara grinned and snuggled in close to Conrad, batting her eyelashes mockingly. "Believe me, if I wanted you, I would have you." She spoke more confidently then she felt, but that was alright. Things were starting to quiet down, and it looked like they might all make it to the mission in one piece after all. "Besides, with how everything's worked out, even if I was jealous, I'd say things are in my favor." She glanced in surprise at the third girl in the carriage who had spoken. "Well, look at that. We have a second mouse. I think..." she ran a finger up the lines of Conrad's chest. "I think you," the finger once more pointed at Tessa, "will be Rabbit, and you," this time went to the third girl, "will be Mouse. I will be....Kitty." she giggled before glancing from Laurentinus to Conrad. "Hawk. Wolf." She pointed at the former, then the latter. This day was turning out to be much more fun then she had originally thought. Sanderson's Group Bryce whistled quietly as they walked. The silence felt forced, and while he wasn't great at socializing, he couldn't help but feel that somehow, something needed to be done. I guess it falls to me. He sighed, then turned to a girl who was walking somewhat close to him. Trying not to be obvious, and failing, he sidled over to her. "Hi. I'm Bryce. Ever killed a man before?" He wished he could have smacked his face against the nearest tree, but that probably would have made things worse. Of all the things to say.
Veera rubbed her forehead. "If our incredibly luck carries, then he was meditating and didn't feel the message." She knew this wasn't true, she had felt Veceslav's consciousness searching for hers. But Aaron would only worry, and it would be unnecessary. "If not, he doesn't know exactly where we are, and he'll have to find us. In the meantime..." she steepled her hands, brooding. "Our enemy," she remained vague, cautiously wary of what Raymond would think of their actions, "is sure to strike back. What remains to be seen is if it will be a united front, or simply random. The latter would be easier," Here she sighed, "which makes me think it will be the former." Suddenly she stood up, nearly knocking her tea to the ground. "Apologies. I must go outside for a moment. Aaron, if you would please stay here, with the master." She inclined her head towards Raymond and whirled, striding out the door. Only when she was out of sight of Aaron did her hand go to the vibrating medallion around her neck. Bryce gripped his silver sword, narrowing his eyes as Veera exited the hut. So this was how it would be. Raymond was either an unwitting pawn, or he truly had no idea who Bryce was. Either way, he stepped back into the shadows, keeping himself hidden from the road. Veera stared at him, then past him, as if looking at the sky. "I had no idea we would be attacked already. I would have chosen somewhere more public to spend the night." It had to be her. Although the reports had been there were two witchers, Bryce knew that they were the only ones in town. It had to be them. And the woman had just condemned herself with her own words. "It seems fate has brought you to me, or me to you." She hadn't drawn her weapons, but Bryce knew that witchers were deceivingly calm just before they struck. "I won't let this stand!" He told her, knuckles clenched around the pommel of his sword. "I will take revenge." "You can try." Veera turned towards him now, eyes glowing in the moonlight. It was eerie enough that his spine tingled. "And when you fail, I will sing a song to the gods over your body, bleeding in the mud." They stared at each other for a few long, tense moments. "Three days. The Town Square." Bryce named the terms. "I will meet you then. And we will do battle." Veera tilted her head, hair shifting to one side. As a human, she would have been extraordinarily beautiful before being turned into a monster. "Agreed." With that, Bryce backed up, not taking his eyes off the witcher until he was out of sight. Then he sheathed his sword, and bolted back to the town as quickly as his legs could carry him. Ana glanced at Vyle, before finally breaking her silence. "Why don't we go to Oxenfurt? Between that city and Novigrad, Solomon could find enough dead for at least one army. And if he's not there, Novigrad is easily enough reached by magic." She rubbed her hands together, the fire underneath her skin just begging to be set free. "I would gladly keep him from harming more innocents. We should hurry." The more time Solomon had, the worse she feared the result would be. As frightening as the dark mage was, it could have all been avoided if she had let go of her prejudice of nonmage folk and simply believed Vyle. That guilt would be eating at her for a long time. She refused to look at the witcher, or really acknowledge his presence. That would mean he was really in front of her, and Ana didn't want to deal with that. "You go north, I'll go south!" Zack called out before turning in that direction and beginning to run. They could cover far more ground if they were separated, and at this point, Zack feared if they didn't find Tessa by dawn, they would never find her. He dodged a couple in love with a muttered apology and skidded down a side alley, hopping over the short railing with more ease then he would have believed. Were all dopplers just naturally athletic? He couldn't believe it was true, but then where was he getting this grace and energy from? Perhaps it was the adrenaline. Perhaps his writer simply wanted to him to be at a certain place and time. Whatever the case, he dashed down the road, hoping to avoid the attention of the guards. So, swimming was not really as easy as it seemed. True, she had escaped the sycophants on the far bank, who had stared after her before going on their way, but not she was stuck. The current flowed around her, strong enough to take her downstream. It tugged at her clothing and her hair, trying to make her leg go of the pole she held onto. It must have been the remnants of a bridge, or a dock. Still a somewhat sturdy piece of wood, it managed to keep her afloat. For now. She knew she would get hypothermic soon. The winter had been mild in Oxenfurt, but it was still cold enough that one could catch sickness, or die if left out too long. The bank on the other side looked far, even though she knew it wasn't. Well, she didn't feel like freezing to death in a river. Might as well die trying. With a deep breath, she bunched her nearly frozen legs against the pole, and pushed herself towards the bank.
You left out the part where you tortured two people trying to guess your location. THEY STILL DON'T KNOW, by the way.
Kara rolled her eyes, then stood, a bit of a difficult task in a moving carriage. "You." She jerked her thumb at Tessa. "Switch seats with me. You're causing problems. Let's solve this before we all dissolve into a rolling ball of chaos and murder." Grabbing the girl by the arm, she yanked her to her feet, turned, and shoved, gently, the girl into the opposite seat, before plopping down in the one next to Conrad, and folding her arms once more. "Alright, now can we get along? Being that we're going to fight a mission together soon, and it would be a good idea if we didn't hate each other?" She pointed at Conrad. "You, if what you did with her is so okay, then you won't mind if you do it with me. And you," this time the finger went in Laurentinus' direction. "You will treat her the way you think she should be treated." She hadn't gotten to be this bossy in ages. It was fun. Tessa gasped when she was nearly picked up and tossed into the opposite seat. She hid beneath the hood as Kara spoke, peeking out when the tirade seemed to have finished. "I'm sorry." She whispered to Laurentinus. "You both seem like....nice, people. I'm just not used to uh...humans." Or talking, or mannerisms, really. "Uh." She tried to remember what she had seen others do. "I'm...Tessa." She held out her hand for Laurentinus to shake. The same as she had done with Conrad. Part of it was an experiment, to see if she could recreate the feeling she had before. The other part was...well..being friendly.
Tessa stumbled and turned back. It was almost as if her attack hadn't counted, but she shook her head, putting a hand to it before letting it fall. That would be crazy. But then again, this Tower had done some crazy things. She curled her hands into fists and darted at Sans again, using Martial Arts. Remy felt himself tiring, but pure exhaustion and weakness was a ways off yet. He glanced back to see that Alexis was protected by the strange fellow. Ah, who was he kidding, they were all strange. He was so distracted he didn't realize his attack hadn't counted, somehow. But Remy was a persistent fellow, and he attacked again with his Bo Staff. Kara was just about to feel the beautiful precision of an attack landed when she felt herself freeze. She couldn't even move her fingers, or her toes. Momentary panic set in, quickly replaced by anger. She kept her eyes on the enemy, promising seven kind of different hells for him after she was freed. No one did this to Kara Jereigns and lived.
Veera stumbled backwards from the force of Ashleigh's attack, before steadying herself. As Ashleigh commanded her to attack, Alpha snarled. What do you think I'm doing? She launched herself at the metal thing, growling with aggression as she circled it, before slashing with her sword towards Timothy. "You'll regret this!" She promised as she attacked. Kala tumbled back, flying through the air much like she had earlier from Ashleigh's attack. And once again, Timothy was there, rescuing her from her poor choices. She would have to do something nice to thank him. Maybe like keeping him alive. She turned and grabbed at one of the guards , wrapping her hands around his neck. Within seconds his energy was hers, and she felt like she was glowing. She dropped him just before he died, and turned just in time to see Veera attack Timothy. Intent on keeping her promise, she stepped in front and reached for a bare patch of skin on Veera's arm.
Kara nudged Laurentinus, her smile still playful. "She's probably got a point. If you weren't a little jealous, you wouldn't bring it up. No one really believes in propriety." With Tessa still hiding behind her cloak and Conrad now staring out the window, she wasn't sure what the problem was. "Hey, you guys need to lighten up." She was in a pretty good mood. She had nearly gotten away with stealing, and hadn't been captured as a result. She had gotten to eat today, and was now riding in a fancy carriage with interesting people. It couldn't get any better. Tessa remained in her defensive position, though she peeked at the people discussing the previous conversation. "So, if you didn't want a mate, then why would you argue? What's the point?" She asked quietly, trying to understand. It felt as though these customs should be familiar but she couldn't quite figure out the process. She frowned and poked her head out a little more. "Do people fight often about small things like this?" she asked Shyra. Bryce followed Sanderson as he was wont to do.
Veera glanced up as Aaron approached her. "Yes, I'm fine. Thank you for the concern." she replied, letting go of her amulet. "Just sent out a little call for help." Just in case. She sighed. "I'm sorry for dragging you away from your sister. She's in good hands." Well, mostly good hands. Derrick was a little shaky on the morality every once in a while. Something pounded against her subconscious. Veceslav. She pushed it away. Whatever words he had for her, she didn't want to hear them. She couldn't waiver, not now. She stood up as Raymond announced there was tea. "Thank you." she murmured, accepting a cup. She would come up with a plan, and she would get what she needed. She would make this happen. Ana shuddered, crossing her arms across her chest. "Let's just get this over wi-" And Vyle was gone, getting the attention of a witcher. Of course he was. And a witcher that looked familiar to her. She hovered near the edge of the road, uncertain whether to stay by her friend's side or hide. As Derrick bore down on them, she took a deep breath, and let it out. She would get through this, somehow. Reaching for her fire, she curled her fists, ready for any sign of trouble. Zack tried to keep up with Seth, and managed to keep the other doppler in sight. He waited until they neared the end of the tunnel before leaning against the clean walls of the outside, catching his breath. "Do you see her?" He asked Seth, his breath coming in gaps. Tessa raced from alley to alley, her hair flying behind her, breath heaving in her chest. "No no no." She muttered, running up the wall and scrambling over it, her nails breaking on the bricks as she scrabbled for hand holds. Up and over before she was off again. She was lost, so so lost. She had tried to follow Bryce, but she had never been to this part of town. The bad part. Priests stalked every corner, looking for victims to burn. Thieves and cutthroats wandered, looking for any means of entertainment. Blood stained her hands from one such encounter. She tried to wipe it on her shirt before hiding behind a pillar, crouching low to the ground. The only escape was the river. Could she swim? She took a deep breath. No time like the present to try. Bryce left the doorway, adjusting the cloak before setting off to the next house. This one lay on the edge of town, and was owned by a recently made friend. He had offered Bryce help before. Well, Bryce was here to collect.
Veera was still asleep. Healing and shit. Zack hugged Adelina back, wrapping his arms tightly around her once more and resting his chin on her head. At that moment, he couldn't really process the king was dead. Well, his body had, he could tell by the pain in his chest, but his mind was in shock. Their leader, gone. Flame would rule now, by law of inheritance. But would it end there? Why, how had he died? Were they in danger? "I'll keep you safe." He murmured, gently stroking her hair. "I won't let anything happen to you." He wasn't sure what else he could really do besides comfort her. The king had obviously been very important to her. "Here, wait." He let go of her, but held onto her hand as he led her towards one of the trees. "I've been saving this for some occasion. I guess that now would be a better time then any." Inside a small hollow in one of the supporting trees was a bottle of wine, pilfered from the kitchens. Adelina might recognize, might not. Either way, he popped the cork and took a swig before offering it to her with a small smile. "Care for some?" Tessa didn't look at Akari, didn't look at the king as they carried the body through the streets, to the rest of the group. She tried to put her mind somewhere else, somewhere less painful, and less cold then where she was now. It seemed an eternity before they finally made it back to Flame and the rest. Tessa set the king down, wiping her face as Gale walked up to her. "Are you okay?" He asked her. She stood there for a moment, trying to work up the words to say as tears became to run down her face. Anger turned to misery, and she shook her head in response before throwing her arms around Gale and pressing her face into his shirt to sob in silence. Kala observed the group with a small smile. They were all so naive and innocent. It almost made her jealous. Almost. But then the girl named Akari and Tessa returned. With the king in their arms. Kala took a step forward, her eyes on Flame. The princess hadn't noticed yet. Kala reached for Flame and grabbed her arm, holding it tightly. Luckily for the girl, she was fed and full on energy. On the king's energy. Oh the irony. Regardless, she pushed those thoughts aside and held tightly to Flame. "Princess..." but her words failed her. For what was there to say? "You might want to prepare yourself."
